Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ

Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ

(1925)

Directed by Fred Niblo

Starring Ramon Navorro, Francis X. Bushman, May MacAvoy

Rating: ******
              6/6

One of the few colour scenes.

Everyone knows the film Ben-Hur
From 1959.
It won eleven Academy Awards,
A record at that time.

It was a big, expensive spectacle
That the viewer can never forget.
Just the chariot race alone
Would have your expectations met.

As amazing though, as that film is,
I’ll say that there’s one better,
A superior adaptation of the book,
Directed by a real go-getter.

We back in 1925,
This movie was a box office smash,
As well it should have since it was
The film that had cost the most cash.

An epic sea battle.

As a matter of fact, this lavish film
Was the costliest ever made.
Elaborate sets, costumes and props
Show that few shortcuts were made.

In place of Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur,
Ramon Navarro stars in this tale.
It must not have been easy assuming the lead
With the production on so grand a scale.

If you think you know the story
From the later film alone,
You’ll be in for some surprises
And a shift in the general tone.

For one thing, there’s more action,
Tons of it in fact.
We see Ben-Hur lead an army
And we see them slash and hack.

There’s a big and thrilling sea battle
You’ll never want to miss.
It’s absent in the later film,
Which does not seem to be amiss.

Some scenes are in colour
And these look pretty neat.
Since most of the film’s in black and white
This was not an easy feat.

The brutal chariot race.

During the grandiose chariot race,
A stuntman lost his life,
Perhaps a more exciting end
Then an accident with a knife.

Both movies are spectacular.
Both movies are epics.
They’re well-directed narratives,
Awesome, strong and epic.

Though nearly one hundred years of age,
This movie still stands strong.
I’m rating this a six out of six,
And I don’t believe I’m wrong.

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